Sri Lanka Army Soldiers Rescue Whale Caught In Fishing Net

Sri Lanka Army Soldiers Rescue Whale Caught In Fishing Net

When a whale got stranded, locals or fishers couldn’t help it go back into the deep waters. That’s when they called the big guns – literally! They called the Security Forces Headquarters – Mullaittivu (SFHQ-MLT) to come assists with the rescue of a 70-foot (21 meters) whale. The poor mammal not only was stuck in shallow waters, but it was also entangled in a fishing net.

Nobody backed down, and after hours of struggle, the whale was finally free to swim in deeper waters! You won’t believe what the Army troops used for the rescue mission!

20. Stuck for a ‘Whale’

earthtouchnews.com

Fishermen and the locals near the village of Kokilai announced the officials that a whale was trapped close to the shore and it couldn’t get back to the deep water. Unfortunately, it was also entangled in fishing nets and ropes…

19. Coming to The Rescue

earthtouchnews.com

The rescue was soon on its way because every moment counted. The whale’s life was indanger, as it already was struggling to survive in the shallow water. But nobody was guessing that the rescue mission will last so many hours!

18. Fishing Nets and Ropes

theblackfish.org

When sea creatures encounter fishnets and ropes, they face a cruel fate. If not helped, they have no chance to survive. Fishing nets impair their swimming, and they either get preyed on or slowly die of hunger…

17. Rough Sea Waves

earthtouchnews.com

When officials arrived on the beach, they realized it was beyond their power, so they called the army troops to get more help. The army posted a news release describing the scene. This is what it said…

16. Reaching the Shore

earthtouchnews.com

‘The giant whale, having got entangled in a fishermen’s net that had been laid in the mid seas had been reportedly trying hard to escape back into the seas,’ began the news report. They explained that the weather conditions didn’t help either.

15. Bringing More Power

earthtouchnews.com

The report continued, saying that ‘rough sea waves as well as inclement weather patterns, worsened its escape attempts despite different techniques applied by those who gathered there.’ So, they brought more help!

14. People and Vehicles

earthtouchnews.com

The rescue mission couldn’t have succeeded if the officials didn’t bring backhoes and many other volunteers to cut the netting and safely send the giant mammal back into the water. You won’t believe how many hours it took to set the whale free…

13. Free to Swim

earthtouchnews.com

After almost eight hours of cutting off all the netting, the whale was finally able to get back to the sea. This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of so many officials and volunteers!

12. Together for the Greater Good

myceylonadventures.com

According to the army’s press release, the rescue mission brought together the ‘District Secretary for Mullaittivu, Divisional Secretary, officials of the Disaster Management Centre, Major General P.U.S. Vithanage, Commander, SFHQ-MLT, senior Police officers and a few other officials.’

11. Saving a Life

thenational.ae

The huge team ‘rushed to the scene with the intention of saving its life,’ concluded the press release. The southern tip of Sri Lanka is a popular place where tourists come to watch whales.

10. Sampur, Sri Lanka

dailymail.co.uk

Another similar case happened in Sampur, Sri Lanka after a whole pod of whales got washed up in the shallow waters. Sailors and villagers tried their best to rescue as many as they could…

9. A Delicate Task

dailymail.co.uk

According to the Navy spokesman Chaminda Walakuluge, the navy had a ‘delicate task,’ because they had to somehow ‘push them back without hurting them.’ He also stated what the cause of so many whales stranded at the same time was…

8. A Cyclone

dailymail.co.uk

Cyclone Mora affected the Bay of Bengal and Bangladesh, and it confused the whole pod. Trincomalee is the place where the largest whales live. Its waters house a vast amount of mammals.

7. The Two Biggest Mammals on Earth

dailymail.co.uk

Trincomalee is the single place where you can see the two largest mammals in the world. On earth, in the wild jungle, there are elephants, and in the water, there are blue and sperm whales.

6. A Happy Ending

dailymail.co.uk

Chaminda Walakuluge concluded that ‘there was a happy ending when all of them could be sent back to deeper waters.’ Another happy ending story is the next one, where divers free four shark whales from fishing nets.

5. Scuba Diving

dailymail.co.uk

When Tuxus, a scuba diving organizer entered the waters in Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, he and his team started filming their experiences. Little did they know that they will shoot a rescue mission.

4. Four Whale Sharks

dailymail.co.uk

The word ‘shark’ might chill anyone, but we’re talking about whale sharks – which are harmless and don’t bite off any limbs! They are filter feeders, eating small fish and plankton. These four creatures were in trouble…

3. Checking for Food

dailymail.co.uk

Usually, shark whales get stuck in fishing nets when they try to eat the fish caught by fishermen. If they get entangled in the nets, they have no chance of survival. Luckily, the divers approached them and cut off the nets.

2. A Tough Job

dailymail.co.uk

Cutting the nets on two of the sharks was easier, but the other two needed extra pair of hands, so more divers came to help. Finally, they were all released, and they even stuck around to swim with their rescuers!

1. Unfortunate Events

dailymail.co.uk

Sea creatures tend to get in trouble when they get around fishing nets. In most of the cases, they’re attracted to the massive amount of food gathered in one place. So, they try their luck to eat the fish inside and most of the cases, they get stuck.